Hopewell Valley mayors tout arts council project

A project to create life-sized oxen sculptures could lead to the establishment of an arts council in the Hopewell area. Times file art

The three Hopewell Valley mayors have teamed up to support an arts initiative with the hope that it can rival the accomplishments of Princeton’s Arts Council, Hopewell Township Mayor Vanessa Sandom said.

The Hopewell Valley Arts Initiative is a grassroots organization that is currently trying to bring more art to the two Hopewells and Pennington with the hope that it will increase tourism. The arts group is creating dozens of life-size ox sculptures that will be placed around the community to make art more visible, according to its website.

“There’s a great move in the valley to promote art and the arts councils in the area, and we’re going to be even better than Princeton,” Sandom said.

The HVAI intends to create a Hopewell Valley Arts Council that will support local artists, and hopes the “stampede” of oxen will bring attention to it, according to its website.
“There will be life-sized oxen across the Valley,” Sandom said.

Oxen are used in historical farming demonstrations at the Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Township.

The three mayors spoke about their towns’ accomplishments and plans for the upcoming year at the annual State of Hopewell Valley Address this afternoon.

They said they hope to finally finish the last two miles of the main loop of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, a 22-mile trail that winds through Hopewell Valley and has been under construction for over a decade.

“We’re going to get this thing done sometime this year,” Sandom said.

Hopewell Borough Mayor Paul Anzano said the borough expects to welcome a cheese factory and a farm-to-table program this year. Several new restaurants opened last year, bringing the total to 14.

“The borough is in very good shape and I anticipate it will improve over the next year,” Anzano said.

Cruise Night in Hopewell Borough is May 10, Mayor Paul Anzano said. Owners of antique cars will park them along Broad Street. Residents can enjoy music and free samples from restaurants along the road.

“It’s a fun evening. It’s 5 to 8 p.m., and you would really enjoy it, and it would give you a good sense of what the community is about,” Anzano said.

Anzano and the American Planning Association will host a walking tour of Broad Street on May 11, the morning after Cruise Night, to discuss the efforts made to retain the historic qualities of the borough and show off the work that was done, Anzano said.
New sidewalks and light posts, ornamental planters and outdoor furniture were added in the renovations, which were completed last year.

The borough was named one of the best towns in New Jersey in 2012 by the American Planning Association, he said.

Pennington recently received a grant of about $200,000 to beautify a block of Main Street. Some curbs will be repaired and sidewalk benches will be installed near Vito’s Pizza, Mayor Anthony Persichilli said.

The work is expected to begin this summer.

“We’re doing very well, and I’m very proud to say, as most people know, there’s no municipal tax raise this year. It’s the fourth year out of five, and that one year it was less than a penny so I think we could afford that,” Persichilli said.